A near miss incident involving a dropped object occurred on ExxonMobil Canada’s Thebaud platform off Nova Scotia, Canada, on 24 January, according to data provided by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB).
On 24 January, while workers were erecting scaffolding, a three-meter scaffold pole weighing 11.8 kilograms slipped through a small gap and landed on a deck 9 meters below. There was no one in the immediate area at the time and there were no injuries.
ExxonMobil advised that ongoing work was immediately stopped, and that a safety stand down was conducted.
Although there were no injuries associated with this incident, it was determined that it had the potential for fatality if a worker had been in the immediate area, and has thus been classified as a high potential near miss.
The incident remains under investigation by ExxonMobil, which is being monitored by CNSOPB Safety Officers.
Thebaud platform is part of Sable Offshore Energy Project (SOEP), based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Project involves the production of natural gas and condensate from five offshore fields near Sable Island, which is located approximately 225 km off the east coast of Nova Scotia. The five fields are: Venture, South Venture, Thebaud, North Triumph, and Alma.
SOEP produces between 400 and 500 million cubic feet (14,000,000 m3) of natural gas and 20,000 barrels (3,200 m3) of natural gas liquids every day.
The project is operated by ExxonMobil Canada Ltd. with partners Shell Canada Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Pengrowth Energy Corporation, and Mosbacher Operating Ltd.